PLAY BALL!

Early Reporting for Catchers & Pitchers

Battery Work-Outs Scheduled for Today!

WINTER IS OVER!

There is Baseball

 

 

The long winter is over.  The first scheduled reporting was for tomorrow, but thank heavens some teams jumped the gun and the world is beautiful again.  There is baseball.  Now is the time for hope.  All is forgiven (save for juiced up Barry Bonds).  Anything is possible.  Even the Cubbies could go all the way.  The Braves are much improved this year (on paper).  All that really matters in this crazy mixed up world of ours is the fact that somewhere, someone is listening to the sound of a ball thudding in a catcher’s mit and there is the sound of a ball ricocheting off the end of a wooden bat, echoing through an empty ball park.  Baseball is the heart and soul of this great nation.  To know baseball is to know America, warts and all. 

 

THE GREAT CAT SOAP OPERA 

There is no news on Georgie today.  Dr. Franklin probably will not have the results of the blood tests until Monday.  That’s the day Bat Masterson comes home.  Special thank yous go to ML at the Pet Prayer and Praise Blog for putting Georgie’s name on the prayer list.   I think Brunhilda has failed a little the past two days.  She has moments of energy, then just sleeps, or sits there staring at the wall.  The poor little thing is getting so senile. I just don’t think she’s going to be around much longer.  We’re reaching a point where I can no longer allow her to suffer.

 

Shattered Nerves:  The icebergs are calving off the high pitched roof of the condo above me.  We’ve had nearly a foot of snow this week.  Today the temp was pushing 55.  I think you can guess the rest of the story.  I am writing this about 5:50PM MST.  Things have started to melt.  The chunks of ice falling onto my tin roof sound like small explosions.  If I did not know what they were I’d be very concerned.  I just hope they don’t smash through my two skylights.  A few weeks ago a huge chunk broke off and completely covered the skylights, but did not break them.

 

I was going to work on a new expose of the Minutemen, but will do so tomorrow.  I’m going to finish early today and go watch Monk!

 

THANK YOU RIGHT WING NUTHOUSE!  Get ready for the Bush comeback!  PLEASE! 

David Broder calls it the “Bush Bounce.”  I call it PAYBACK!    I know it is coming, I feel it.  I keep telling you the American people are basically fair.  It is going to be very interesting to see what happens when they turn on the Dems.  I just hope it isn’t too early in the election cycle.  (Okay, spoken like a true political junkie).  When Bush wins this thing, it is going to be one of the great moments.  “Nancy who?”  Like my father said a few minutes ago when he called, furious with the Dems, “Bush does better when he is down.”  There are some pitchers who just don’t work well until they are a couple of runs behind.  Let’s face it, this Southpaw in Chief is one of ‘em.

 

 

A spectacular archaeological find in Athens!

This is one of the wierdest stories I've found to date: Then there is the one about the really big foot that was found in a landfill in Virginia.  Even Jane Goodall is getting involved in this one!  

 

The “BIG” Anglican meeting is now going on in Tanzania.  Evidently it is quite interesting.  According to Fr. Jake Stops the World, the only way to really know what is going on is via this Cartoon.  In other words, Bishop Akinola is being the usual ass that he is.   It makes one wonder why the whole meeting is so secluded and the press is being treated so shabbily. Then read this comment by Fr. Jake.  Something stinks here and I don’t think it is the ECUSA.

 

COPPERHEADS

Called As Seen on Murtha and his defeat strategy. Washington Times OpEd

Red State’s excellent coverage of the Copperhead Dems.

Gateway Pundit on the Copperheads bring defeat to us all.

Hot Air has a list of the turncoat Republicans.  ht  You might want to know that blessed CONSERVATIVE libertarian Ron Paul is one of the “Republicans” who would rather see us be defeated than win. And why the HE-double-toothpick did Bob Inglisvote against it?     He has definitely sealed his fate, that’s for sure!  

 

1. Ron E. Paul (TX)
2. Thomas E. Petri (WI)
3. Bob Inglis (SC)
4. Jim Ramstad (MN)
5. Timothy V. Johnson (IL)
6. Walter Jones (NC)
7. Michael Castle (DE)
8. Ric Keller (FL)
9. Howard Coble (NC)
10. Mark S. Kirk (IL)
11. Steven C. LaTourette (OH)
12. Thomas M. Davis (VA)
13. Fred Upton (MI)
14. John J. Duncan (TN)
15. James T. Walsh (NY)
16. Philip S. English (PA)
17. Wayne Gilchrest (MD)

 

Flopping Aces on the turncoat Republicans.

 

IRAQ

Malkin on the actual war in Iraq and what we are actually doing. 

Are the reports of success real or hype?

 

REPUBLICANS

There is so much talk going on about who is a real Republican, what do they believe, etc. I think it is time to revisit that most excellent site, the Grand Old Partisan.

 

Lindsey on the defeat resolution: 

“...I will do everything in my power to ensure the House resolution dies an inglorious death in the Senate. The resolution will be seen by our enemies around the world as a weakening of our resolve.  It will embolden our enemy to defeat us in Iraq and drive us from the Middle East.  It is also not remotely helpful to the war effort or our troops in the field. “These non-binding resolutions are political theatre at its worst.  Our troops deserve and expect us to rise to the occasion.  Instead, we have a case of congress acting in a small political fashion during a momentous time in our history.  Our actions will play a decisive role in shaping our national security today and for decades to come. “Any effort by Majority Leader Reid to deny the Senate a full and fair debate and a series of votes on Iraq will be met by staunch resistance from many Republicans.  There should be no more business in the U.S. Senate until we fully and fairly debate this new effort to secure victory in Iraq.  The American people expect and deserve no less….”

 

Gresham’s comments:

“…Those on the other side want to have it both ways.  They say ‘we support our troops’ but at the same time say ‘we don’t support the war you are fighting.’  Our troops deserve better. Either commit to their mission and bring them home victorious, or stop their funding and bring them home in defeat.  Those are the choices before us. Congress should allow time for the plan to take hold not put forth a resolution that is a clear first step toward a policy of retreat and defeat. Mr. Speaker, there’s only one way out of Iraq, one way out of this war.  Victory….”

 

DEMS & LIBERALS UNHINGED

Why does it not surprise me that HRM Nancy I has put William Jefferson on the Homeland Security Committee?  Captain Ed has a great commentary about it.    I am just so glad Pelosi and the Dems are cleaning up the GOP Culture of Corruption, and completely redefining the term ‘corruption’. Pelosi and her little friends are a breath of fresh air (literally) in the world of cigar smoking Republicans.  Malkin

 

Let’s be honest here.  Blog Lizards hits on the exact point why the Dems are so determined to do everything possible to cause a major defeat in Iraq.  In other words, GWB has a very good chance of winning.  One of these days the truth about what is going on over there is going to start leaking out, and when it does, there are a heck of a lot of Dems who are going to look really bad.  The battle isn’t against terror.  The battle is to destroy George W. Bush and any other (Jeb) Bush who might have national political ambitions.  The real issue is their abject hatred for GWB for stealing the Presidency away from Algore.

 

PRIMARIES 2008

I think Matt Margolis is being too hard on John McCain and his absence tomorrow for Dirty Harry’s quickie vote.  When I heard about the schedule change this morning, I wondered what Reid was up to, since he could wait to Monday.  Is he trying to set up McCain?  Well, this is the political season and anything can happen.  Frankly, I think Margolis should give McCain the benefit of the doubt on this one.  Flap has an interesting commentary cross posted on his site and the Giuliani Blog.  My concern about being a ‘front-runner’ so early on is there is nowhere to go but down.  Let’s face that fact that the major problem for Giuliani is the fact that and dip is approval numbers is going to be trumpeted by his opponents, the Dems, and the MSM.  It is a serious problem.  I don’t see how anyone, no matter how good, can sustain front-runner status for another year without some drop in numbers.  Giuliani must be doing something right if these irate Baptists are against him.    (I know it is snippy, but is spoken by an ex-baptist)   Flap on the opposition to Rudy.  Eye on 2008 compares strategies of Romney (flip-flopping) and Giuliani (in your face).  Also read his take on the GOP Straw Poll #’s.  McCain’s new site is up. Deroy Murdock’s wonderfully snarky piece about Romney.   The only report I can find about the big Richardson fundraiser in ABQ comes from Newsmax so I will not use it.  In 1992 Romney voted for Tsongas!  Sometimes the little things in life are the best.  The head of Paramont (the studio that released Algore's Acadamy Award nominated life-changing, world changing film) is endorsing Giuliani!

 

MY RANT OF THE DAY

Periodically, because of all the clutter brought about by non-Republican conservatives, we need to go back and play Roots – get in touch with our true Republican side – just who are Republicans?  This is a Shameless Plug for Michael’s Zak’s most excellent site – Grand Old Partisan.

 

 

The Reagan Revolution changed the face of the Republican Party forever.  But – the one thing Ronald Reagan never did was exclude anyone who was a Republican no matter how conservative, moderate, or liberal they were.  His Eleventh Commandment was “Thou Shalt Not Speak Ill Of A Fellow Republican”.  I think we need to stop and remember this every once in awhile.

 

We also sometimes need to go back and get in touch with our Roots.  Just who were the original Republicans?  I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but the first Republicans were screaming ‘liberal’ (not today’s version of the word) reformers who believed in making drastic changes in the way the United States was run.  We changed history, ended slavery; stopped the Robber Barons in their tracks; empowered women; and fought for Civil Rights.  These aren’t exactly ‘conservative’ propositions. 

 

The thing that worries me the most is the fact that while many ‘conservatives’ embrace our past GOP history, they are afraid to step out on a limb and admit that the Republican Party has been at the fore-front of human rights since its inception. We have been for the rights of the individual, not the ‘common good’.   And we have always been for a strong national defense. 

 

In many ways, if you go back to what the GOP stands for, the whole anti-abortion stance is an aberration, not because of the morality of the issue, but the intrusion on personal privacy and personal liberty.   I don’t think it should be this massive litmus test for any candidate. 

 

I don’t know about you, but I am far more interested, and always have been, in a strong national defense.  In order to maintain one we must have candidates who are viable to a majority of voters and not just the litmus test voter.  As reasonable, educated voters and very good Republicans, we must be willing to use the intellect and reason the Good Lord gave most of us to make sure we get these kind of people.  I’m sorry, but if the best person for the job is not strong on the anti-abortion issue, but is going to maintain a strong national defense and lead us in this sustained war on terror, I don’t give a rip about the abortion issue.  Same thing goes for a few other social issues. 

 

Think about past Republican leaders.  They haven’t all been conservative.  Some of our greatest would be considered ‘screaming liberals’ today, Lincoln included.